Cloud Participant Certificate
After Lao Wang retired, his life was like a lukewarm glass of plain water. It wasn't until he received a "Spring Festival Gala Cloud Participant Certificate" on Taobao that a drop of ink was added to this plain water.
The electronic certificate had an exaggerated gold background, with the large characters "Cloud Participation" in the center. Next to it was a serious-looking logo of the "CCTV Spring Festival Gala," and below it was a string of numerical codes that Lao Wang himself didn't understand. Lao Wang knew, of course, that it was just a marketing gimmick from the merchant. But looking at the glittering gold "participant certificate" on his phone screen, he felt a strange surge of excitement, as if he had truly become a part of the Spring Festival Gala.
After receiving the certificate, Lao Wang started to take things "seriously." Every morning, he would practice smiling in front of the mirror, trying to make his expression look natural and joyful. He also specifically learned a few trendy internet slang terms, hoping to use them during his "cloud participation." His wife initially thought he was going overboard, but seeing him so happy every day, she didn't say anything more, only occasionally muttering, "Old man, what are you even doing this for?"
On New Year's Eve, Lao Wang changed into the new clothes he only wore during the Spring Festival, turned on the TV, tuned to the Spring Festival Gala channel, and then took out his phone and opened the "Cloud Participant Certificate." He waved seriously at the screen, as if he was really sending New Year's greetings to the national audience.
"Welcome all cloud participant viewers to the backstage of the Spring Festival Gala!" a sweet voice came from his phone, it was the Spring Festival Gala program's virtual "cloud participation" assistant. Lao Wang excitedly clapped along with the other "cloud participant" viewers, even though he couldn't hear the applause or see anyone else.
The program began, and Lao Wang laughed and was moved with everyone else, as if he were really at the Spring Festival Gala. He would occasionally post a few comments in the "cloud participation" group, discussing which programs were good and which stars were more beautiful.
However, as time went on, Lao Wang began to feel a strange sense of unease. He realized that no matter how much he invested in it, he couldn't truly integrate into the atmosphere of the Spring Festival Gala. The people on TV and himself on the screen seemed to belong to two different worlds. The hand he waved could only leave a blurry shadow on the screen, and the comments he posted could only be drowned in the sea of information.
At the stroke of midnight, the Spring Festival Gala was coming to an end, and Lao Wang began to feel tired. He quietly turned off the TV, put down his phone, and sat on the sofa in a daze.
"Old man, what's wrong?" His wife came over and asked with concern.
Lao Wang shook his head, not knowing what to say. He wanted to tell his wife that he felt like he was trapped in a virtual world, a world that looked lively and real, but could never truly be touched.
The next morning, Lao Wang opened his phone as usual, but found that the "Spring Festival Gala Cloud Participant Certificate" was gone. Instead, there was a system message: "Thank you for participating in this cloud participation event. You have successfully increased the cloud popularity of the Spring Festival Gala."
Lao Wang was stunned. He stared at the screen for a long time, and suddenly understood. He was never a part of the Spring Festival Gala; he was just a number, a tool used to increase "cloud popularity."
He looked up at the window, where the sun was shining brightly, and everything was normal. Lao Wang sighed, walked to the balcony, picked up the broom, and started sweeping the yard. He swept very carefully, as if sweeping away the layer of illusory dust in his heart.
Just then, his phone rang again. He opened it and saw a message from Taobao: "Congratulations, you have successfully obtained the 'Lantern Festival Cloud Celebration Participation Certificate.' Come and join us!"
Lao Wang looked at the "participant certificate" on his phone screen, which had once again begun to shimmer with golden light. He didn't feel excited like before, instead, he just gave a bitter smile. This time, he directly pressed the delete button.